235 



Quinones 



Other metabolites, such as actinorhodhi and the perylene- 

 quinones may be formed similarly. 



Structures such as moUisin and javanicin seem to indicate an 

 acetate derivation for naphthoquinones. 



CH3O 



HO 



O 

 CHo— C— CH3 



OH O 



CH, 

 Mollisin 



Javanicin 



The suggestion has been made^' that the terphenylquinones 

 might be formed by autocondensation of a phenylpyruvic acid 

 type of molecule in the following sense: 



o— 



c=o 



O— R 



R— O 

 C 



o c 



CH 



,-r\ 



/ 



/ 



o \= 



Phenylpyruvcte 



OH 



HO 



o \=/ 



Polyporic Acid 



Similarly p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate would form atromentin. 

 Polyporic acid might be transformed by oxidation to pulvinic 



^'G. Read and L. Vining, Chem. and Ind., 1546 (1959). 



